We found that the risk for experiencing mental health conditions was *almost double* in people with autoimmune conditions compared to the general population. Interestingly, this risk remained high after adjusting for relevant factors and was virtually identical for most mental health conditions.

Mental health issues were more prevalent in women, in particular, even when compared to men with the same autoimmune conditions.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, we found that people with autoimmune conditions were more likely to report lifetime diagnoses of mental health conditions, and also current symptoms of depression or anxiety (measured using screening tools as part of Our Future Health questionnaires).

We analysed the associations between lifetime diagnoses of 6 autoimmune conditions and 3 mental health issues (depression, anxiety, bipolar).

Our analysis accounted for many relevant factors such as age, ethnicity, household income, chronic pain, and more.

As this is a new field, we are keen to ensure that best practices are adopted as early as possible. We make concrete recommendations on how to integrate principles of diversity and inclusion, lived experience engagement, and open science to accelerate discovery in metabolic psychiatry. rdcu.be/etahP

#MetabolicPsychiatry encourages a whole-body perspective on mental illness, acknowledging that physical health and mental health influence each other. Many risk factors can negatively impact metabolism and mental health, and a key priority is to identify the directionality of these relationships.

What is 'metabolic psychiatry'? And how can we make meaningful advances in mental health prevention and treatment using metabolic science?

Out now in Nature Mental Health, our new article defining this emerging field and outlining key questions for future research: rdcu.be/etahP

Had a great time teaching on the Neuroimmunology & Neurochemistry themed Africa Advanced School in Neuroscience. Teaching is, as always, the part of my job that makes me happiest. Now onwards to #SONA2025!

We're collecting a range of health measures in METPSY using in-person and remote data collection tools, including radar sleep monitors, ecological momentary assessment apps, and continuous glucose monitoring. Together, this will be a rich dataset to drive discovery in metabolic psychiatry.

Our protocol for the METPSY study in the @hubmetpsych.bsky.social is out now in BMC Psychiatry. METPSY is a longitudinal study of metabolic markers and clinical outcomes in young people with depression, bipolar, or schizophrenia. Recruitment for the study opens shortly!

doi.org/10.1186/s128...

Interested in neuroimmunology? An exciting intensive course is planned just before the Society of Neuroscientists of Africa 2025 conference in Morocco. Please share widely: sona2025.uca.ma/Neuroimmunol...

It’s been a pleasure to take part in a series of futurist thinking sessions to imagine the future of the Africa Brain Health Network. It doesn’t end here — we are excited to work towards the vision of brain health being integrated into the daily lives of 1.5 billion people across Africa.

Want to read a story about #queer joy, community, and cultural resistance? I’m honoured to be published in the newest edition of The Ana and esp to be chosen as the Editors’ Pick. What a privilege to have my words resonate in some small way with others!

Read here: www.wearetheana.com/issue-15-dusk

This workshop is also, to the best of our knowledge, the first published instance of community engagement in southern Africa which did *not* need formal ethical approval. If you’re hosting such workshops in future, this could be a great citation for your local ethics board 😉

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

These were just the top priorities, but both groups identified many additional questions as being important to them. Top questions by each theme are in the figure below, and the full list is in Supplementary File 2: t.co/n3fjTDHID9

A cure for HIV was the most important research priority for young people. They were also interested in effects of antiretrovirals on the brain, body, and social relationships. Carers prioritised research on adherence, HIV status disclosure, and support from community clinics.

We hosted a priority setting workshop with young people with HIV and their parents/caregivers at our research clinic (FAMCRU) in Cape Town. Both groups told us about which research questions mattered to them, and voted on the order of importance of these questions.

Meaningful community engagement is at the heart of our #HIV research at FAMCRU (Stellenbosch Uni).

We recently asked: what do young people living with HIV in South Africa want us to research?

Out now @plos.bsky.social Global Public Health: doi.org/10.1371/jour...

#Science #WorldAIDSDay